The Croods

One of the year's first nice surprises, Dreamworks' animated comedy The Croods is major-league family entertainment done properly, with stylish animation and plenty of laughs. Emma Stone, Nicolas Cage and Catherine Keener lead the voice cast as a caveman family braving the harsh realities of prehistoric life. When teenage daughter Eep (Stone) falls for the more evolved Guy (Ryan Reynolds), the primitive Croods must come to grips with concepts such as fire, migration and getting out of the cave once in a while. The kinetic 3-D effects make for some thrilling chase sequences and bombastic cataclysm scenes. Funny jokes and weirdo creature design, too.
ByGlenn McDonald